GM Alex Baburin writes: "I would like to help the Konig fund raising
by making a special offer on new subscriptions to my daily Internet chess
magazine Chess Today - rates ($19 for 4 months, $25 for 6 months and $44
for one year) and encourage them to subscribe. When they subscribe, in the
reference field they should write 'Imre Konig' and I will give 50% of their
subscription to the tournament." Go to http://www.chesstoday.net for more
information on one of the best chess magazines in the world and help
support the Konig!

1) Konig Memorial

The Imre Konig Memorial starts a week from today, Wednesday, September 4 at
11 AM. Rounds are daily except the free days which are being held on
September 6,10 and 13. The event has been cut back from 12 to 10 players as
Larry Christiansen and Lubomir Ftacnik were forced to withdraw for personal
reasons. Larry will be with the tournament in spirit, if not in person, as
he has donated $500 to the tournament. I don't know the last time a reigning
US Champion has done that. Thanks Larry!

The field will consist of GMs Suat Atalik, Alexander Baburin, Walter Browne,
Nick DeFirmian, John Fedorowicz, Yuri Shulman, Alex Wojtkiewicz and Alex
Yermolinsky plus America's top two young players IM Varuzhan Akobian and
IM Hikaru Nakamura. The prize fund for the category 12 (2538 FIDE average)
will be $9,450 with $9,050 in place prizes and Oscar Samuels Best Game Prize
$200 and Henry Gross Best Game Prize $200 made possible by Coblentz, Patch,
Duffy & Bass. Samuels was MI Champion twice in the 1890s, while Gross was a
standard bearer for Northern California chess for over fifty years. The two
IMs will not only be competing for prize money. They will also both be
trying to make their second GM norm, which for this event is 5 1/2
points.

Rounds will start each day at 11 AM and run through approximately 4 PM. IM
John Donaldson will provide commentary daily from noon to 1:30 PM.
Admission is free to all. There will be a blitz tournament on Saturday,
September 7 from 5-7 PM. Full details are given below.

2) Shakhnazarov and Margulis lead Imre Konig Tuesday Night Marathon

National Master Igor Margulis defeated Expert James Jones and Oleg
Shakhnazarov upset top seed Fide Master Frank Thornally to emerge as the
only perfect scores after three rounds of the Imre Konig Tuesday Night
Marathon. The event, which has set an attendance record for TNMs, was
72 players. It's still open for entry. Those wishing to participate with
half point byes for the first three rounds should contact the Chess Room
by Friday, noon.

3) Sergey Karjakin becomes a GM at age 12

Sergey Karjakin (pronounced 'car-yack-kin'), following his earlier GM
results this year in Moscow and Alushta, made his final qualification norm
at Sudak in the Crimea Peninsula last week;his unbeaten score of 10/13 in
the category 7 tournament (average rating: 2405) there also giving him
third place. Aged just 12-years seven months, he smashed the previous
record held by China's Bu Xiangzhi by more than a year.

Fischer set the record for youngest GM at age 15 1/2 in 1958, and held it
for over 30-years before Judit Polgar bettered his record by over a month
in 1991. Since then a steady stream of prodigies have continually lowered
the record.

4) Here and There

Congratulations go to WIM Camilla Baginskaite who has qualified to play on
the 2002 US Womens Olympic Team. Camilla played for the US in Istanbul in
2000 with distinction and was the top American female scorer in the 2001
China/USA match.

Santa Fe IM Jesse Kraai, the strongest player in the history of New Mexico
chess, is aiming his sights at the GM title. His recent performance at the
third John Rowell Invitational in Glendale should push his FIDE rating
closer to 2500, one of the two criterion to become a GM. Results: 1.Kraai
7; 2. Altounian 6 1/2; 3. Matikozian 6; 4. Ambartsoumian 5 1/2, 5.
Kretchetov 5; 6-7. Akopian and Casella 3 1/2; 8. Taylor 3; 9-10. Hermansen
and Hanley 2 1/2

Housing prices are not the only thing going up in Seattle. Our neighbor to
the North recently gained a new Grandmaster, former World Junior Champion
Tal Shaked, who will be doing graduate work at the University of Washington.
Greater Rain City can also boast GMs Yasser Seirawan, Gregory Serper plus
IMs Nikolay Minev, Georgy Orlov and Eric Tangborn.

This weekend Richard Koepcke will be holding the 2002 CalChess Labor Day
Festival at the Golden Gate Holiday Inn in San Francisco. This event
deserves your support. Richard and Tom Dorsch have both been trying to
bring back large weekend Swisses to the Bay Area at considerable time
and money. We can't save their time but by supporting their tournaments
we can make sure they don't lose money and that events of this type will
continue to be held in Northern California. Full details are given below.

For more information contact IM John Donaldson at the above number or reach
him at imwjd@aol.com
PLEASE BRING CLOCKS!

6) Upcoming events

Ever fancy competing in the Iron Man? No, not the event held in Hawaii, but
the North American Open in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The late Charles Powell
won the first event in 1970, which was a twenty rounder in five days!
These days, the distance has been shortened, but you still get your monies
worth, and more, with ten rounds in four days. The organizer, Jim Berry,
kindly provides the players with a free pizza feed before the start of the
eighth round to give them a little last minute fuel to finish the event.
This year, the one of a kind tournament features GMs Alex Baburin and Yury
Shulman, who will be warming up for the Konig Memorial. Full details for
this event are below.

Note two new additions to the calendar under national listings: the always
popular Governor's Cup and a rare opportunity for GM and IM norms this
December in Lindsborg, Kansas.

Howard Donnelly Memorial: Sept. 21

This event is a 5-rounder, G/45, run on the Swiss system starting at 10 AM.

Hope the 7th Governor's Cup Chess Tournament is on your fall
calendar--October 11-13--in Sioux Falls, Sourth Dakota. The tourney
will be at a new site this year--downtown at the Holiday Inn City
Centre at 100 West 8th Street. Once again we will distribute
$10,000 in prize money. Call (605) 339-2000 as soon as possible
and ask for the $79 chess rate. ( Let me know if you have any
difficulty making a reservation. I know that the state soccer
tourney is in town that same weekend which may be a problem for
you if you wait too long to reserve a room.)

The tourney will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday night.

All state chess associations are invited to nominate their current state
champion or one of their best to represent their state in this event.
Please spread the word to chess association presidents. At this time I
do not plan to have the Governor's Office send out invitations like I have
done in the past.

The entry fee will be $50 in advance--entries must be postmarked by
October 5 to receive this rate. After that entry fees will be $70.

Free entry to all GM's, IM's, and players rated above 2400.

Remember to indicate your section when you register: Open, Premier, or
Rserve. (Premier is Under 2000, and Reserve is Under 1600).